Online Attraction
by aurimaedre
Summary: Birthday Fic for ThinksInWords: Enjolras runs a website with the rest of the Amis and one night, while combing through comments on his editorial he finds one that speaks to him and contacts the person at the other end.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis.**

**This was a birthday fic prompt over on tumblr for Textsfromumbridge/ ThinksInWords. **

**Prompt: Enjolras and Eponine meet online**

Enjolras stared at his computer screen, dreading the next few hours to come. He was coming through the comments section on his web articles and deleting the unsavory ones. It seemed as though the females at the university thought the way to get his attention was to come onto his blog and leave insightful comments about his articles. However, instead of appearing as insightful they came across as insipid, desperate, and a little bit crass. So to keep the integrity of his blog he went through his weekly posts and deleted any of the comments that weren't directly related to his article or was obviously some sorority girl trying to get in his pants.

The idea for creating the website came about after a night of friendly drinking and tossing around ideas on how to get their words to reach more people, they had a fair number show up to rallies and meetings but it still paled in comparison to the number of students that attended. They set up the website and each of them had their own separate blog on the website.

Enjolras, being the administrator and leader wrote editorials on whatever story he felt needed attention and kept the calendar, meeting minutes, and meeting schedule up-to-date. Combeferre focused on education and occasional issues that didn't receive enough media attention because he was the only Amis aside from Enjolras that had the time and patience to do the research needed. Joly, being the medical student was obviously in charge of medical issues such as access and health care. Feuilly was in charge of women's and children's issue and Bahorel wrote about environmental issues with a focus on animal rights. Bossuet, despite his bad luck and misfortune in the stock market was actually brilliant in financial matters and ran an advice column for the students bogged down in debt. Jehan was in charge of the website development and drew a weekly satirical comic. Lastly, Grantaire just wrote sarcastic articles based on the more interesting comments left on the other's posts. It was perfect for the cynic and he somehow managed to educate people through his nihilistic opinions and was so popular he had even opened up a letters to the editor format where people could submit questions.

This week Enjolras had written about the recent budget cuts that the school was about to experience due to grant funding getting taken away. The area the school decided to cut were the scholarships and way they were planning on going about it was atrocious. Instead of looking at a student's GPA, their involvement in the university, work study, or how much they need the scholarship the school decided they were going to give every student a number and arrange them according to how much money the school spent on them. When he had written the article he had just learned of the plan so it was more of an informative post instead of his usual call to action, but at the end he stressed that the budget cuts were going to be the highlight of the next Amis meeting and urged everyone to come and help formulate a plan of action.

He was half-heartedly looking through the comments as this week they obviously had a reoccurring theme with comments like I'm good at raising things if you ever need my help with that and can't make the meeting but am willing to meet privately to 'discuss the options' with you. They weren't even trying to be clever anymore and they began to use too many emoticons, but one comment actually made him shake with laughter so loud Grantaire actually came to look.

Grantaire opened his mouth to ask what caused the laughter, but seeing the tears of mirth practically rolling down his roommate's face with a finger pointing to the computer screen erased the need for words.

"Hungry_for_you writes: I have an idea, you and me locked in the dean's office for a sit-in in protest. I know a great way to pass the time, we can even maculate." Grantaire couldn't even get the last three words out without clutching his sides in laughter.

"First of all, me needs to be I and second… don't use a word if you can't tell it's a verb. You need another word there, hon." He paused due to his own laughter, "Oh man, Enjy… this one deserves to be posted on the wall of shame!"

Enjolras reached for one of his notecards on his desk and quickly wrote the comment down, "For the wall, R and that one deserves to be ranked pretty high. No matter what the others say, because we all know out of everyone this is the most hilarious comment to come across this website." Grantaire plucked the card out of his hand and practically ran out of the room in glee.

Enjolras turned back to the comments page and decided to leave that one just in case his friends didn't believe him when they saw the new addition to the number one spot on the wall when they came home and got ready to prune some more comments. He instantly regretted it when he came across a comment that contained more than just a little innuendo. The words barely registered in his brain he was so surprised that someone would be that explicit and what did manage to stay in his brain were burned into it. He didn't even know there were that many positions that made use of a desk!

He stared at his screen in shock and disgust and decided he was officially done for the night. However, the first line of the next comment was visible at the top of the screen and his eyes were drawn to it before he could move the mouse and exit out of the window. All he could see was the screen name but it was enough to make him pause, it was the_flower_that_blooms_in_adversity and while he was unwilling to admit it to his fellow friends Mulan had always been one of his favorite Disney movies.

He scrolled past so that the entire comment was visible. It was rather long as Enjolras began to read,

"I'm one of those scholarship students that are currently living in fear that my scholarship is going to get taken away from me. My GPA is a 3.76, my attendance is perfect, and I work two jobs on campus that equal out to be between twenty five to thirty hours a week along with taking the full course load my scholarship requires (15 hours). I have never turned in an assignment late, showed up to work late, or called in sick unexpectedly. I also have custody of my two younger siblings, one in high school and the other is in junior high.

However, despite all of that I am in fear of losing my scholarship, a scholarship that is the only way I can stay in school, because I am a full ride student.

At the same time I know a student that plagiarizes over half his paper, buys the rest online from students in a similar position as I, never shows up to his work study or appointments, and continually skips class. This student has nothing to fear because he has a scholarship that only pays for half of his tuition and is actually bragging about it to the rest of us.

I am telling you this so that you know a personal account of how some of us feel because you, obviously, are not in constant fear right now that your life is about to take a drastic turn. You talk about all of these issues and you are stressing action along with showing up to your meetings but you don't take a second to realize that the students most affected by this are most likely going to be working their asses off at one of their many jobs and can't come to your idealistic group's meeting.

This is a very important issue and does require attention and action to be drawn to it, but given your groups past you are a lot of talk and very little action aside from raising social awareness on your website and around campus. And the action that you do act on produces terrible results and never achieves what you set out to do ( I am of course, referring to the time the cops showed up at one of your rallies and used tear gas when a riot broke out and got everyone arrested).

I urge you to take caution in your approach to this and listen to other people's ideas so that you can be successful in this endeavor because this is something that many of us can't afford to have happen to us simply because of how much money the scholarship has to spend on us."

Enjolras leaned back in his chair with a smile on his lips. _Finally, someone with a brain comments on the blog and they actually gave some good advice. I wonder what else they have to say_, he thought as he leaned forward to click the email reply button and eagerly started penning his reply.

A few weeks had passed since he sent his first email and he was quickly realizing that it was the best decision he could have ever made. The person at the other end had an amazing idea for combatting the school's decision. They suggested contacting all of the scholarship students that were in the same position and organize a time when everyone would stand outside the dean's building, holding signs up that stated, "I am not a number or dollar signs, I am a person." The signs would also say their current GPA, attendance record, number of hours they worked a week, and (if the person was willing) why they needed the scholarship.

He was thrilled with the idea and even suggested calling some of the local papers to give them the scoop, a suggestion that was well received. The Amis were also on board with the idea and were shocked that Enjolras could come up with such a passive, powerful plan. He refused to tell them anything as to how the plan developed and continued to talk and plan with the unknown person. This led to them talking to each other every night since, working out the plans before the conversation would ultimately dissolve into friendly chatting.

From their chats he was able to deduce that the person on the other end was a female, which to be honest, surprised him. He wasn't used to smart, level-headed women talking to him aside from his friend's sisters and their girlfriends, or Eponine who was so in love with Marius that Enjolras didn't think she noticed anyone else. It was refreshing to not feel objectified by an unknown person of the opposite sex and he found himself starting to fall for whoever was on the other end, and he knew that was the main reason for not wanting to tell his friends about his accomplice. They would know instantly how he felt and he hadn't come to terms with it himself and thus didn't want to be subjected to the jokes or romantic advice from his friends.

Because of his feelings he wanted to know more about her, but every time he tried to ask any probing questions she would deflect and return to whatever meaningless fluff conversation they were having previously. Granted, those conversations were enough to know her, but not enough to really know her. He wanted to respect her privacy so he would never broach the topic again but it didn't quell his desire to know more so he tried to search for other, more subtle ways to find out information.

One of the things he was dying to ask her about was his screen name. Yes, it was a commonly known quote from a beloved Disney movie but it was an unusual screen name. So he decided he was going to ask her about it that night after they finished deciding the day they would do the protest and broach the topic by using a little bit of self-deprecating humor.

**TheModernSaint-Just: So we are all set for two weeks from now; Thursday at 8 am correct? I talked to two of the people you sent me and they will be there at the start, will you be able to?**

_the_flower_that_blooms_in_adversity: I'm not sure yet, I have to take care of some things at my brother's school and I don't know how long it will take. _

**But you will be there, right? How will I know who you are?**

_I will and you won't. _

Enjolras knew by her short reply that the subject was closed and decided to put his plan into action.

**Okay. So I have to admit that your screen name is what caused me to pause long enough to read your comment. It's unusual… and it's from one of my favorite movies. **

_Secret Disney fan then, huh? _

**Yes. I would like to blame my younger sister and her love of the princess films, but sadly I can't. Mulan was my favorite and the best one on in my opinion and so I would casually suggest it every time she begged to watch a movie with me (I always wanted to be able to say that it was her idea if someone caught me watching it- and I still use that excuse today only instead of my sister I can convince Jehan). I have the entire movie memorized… and if you mention that to anyone there will be consequences ;) **

_My lips are sealed, Cri-kee. _

**Very funny. Anyways I was wondering why you chose that phrase as your username?**

Enjolras hit the send button with trepidation and hoped that he would finally get something personal out of her. After all, most people tended to pick screen names that have some meaning and could therefore tell you quite a lot about a person.

_It's from a happier time_

**Meaning?**

_The movie came out when I was a child and my father took me to go see it at the theater. I was a daddy's girl and he worked so much that we rarely got to spend time together so the times we did are precious. When my family started to fall on hard time it was difficult for me to process. I always got what I wanted and all of a sudden that changed and my parents were worried all the time. On some nights when I was terrified, when we didn't know where we would sleep, he would hug me and quote that line from Mulan to make me feel better. This was before the situation got to my parents and changed them for the worst and it just helps me remember. _

Enjolras leaned forward to put his hands on the keyboard, glad that him divulging that embarrassing tidbit seemed to work in getting her to loosen up. But before he could finish typing his response she had already sent one back.

_I have to go, my sister needs to get on the computer to type up her report for school._

She signed off before Enjolras could say goodbye and he was left wondering if he made a mistake.

Luckily it appeared that he didn't scare her off as they resumed their normal chatting activities the next night and their chats seemed less restrained. She was more willing to share small tidbits (nothing too revealing, of course) and would laugh easily. In return, Enjolras was more light-hearted in his conversations with her. They weren't always focused on his activism or the next big plan and it was freeing to just be able to talk to someone.

Enjolras was sitting in the Musain, a bar that was on campus and the meeting place for all the Amis, surrounded by his friends and contemplating how he could get her to open up more and eventually let him know who she was.

"Enjy!" R yelled, disrupting his thoughts.

He looked up from his drink so look at his inebriated friend, prompting him with a nod to continue.

"We just convinced Eponine to join us for a drinking game now that her shift is done. You should join us! We are playing a variation of Truth or Dare. You can either answer the question being asked or do the dare and if you refuse you have to take some shots, the challenger gets to pick... you know you want to…." R trailed off in a sing-song voice.

Enjolras cringed at the thought of playing the game, "No thanks, I think I will just be an observer tonight. Besides, I have a feeling that after this game some of you will need help getting home."

His eyes scanned the table to look at his friends, they had all had a number of drinks already and he was not looking forward to the end of the night. His eyes settled on the last person to join the table, the only one besides him that was sober, and noticed that she had managed to strategically place herself directly in front of Marius and kept quickly glancing up to look at him before looking away. During one of her glances she noticed Enjolras staring at her and quickly dropped her eyes down to study the drink her hands, her shame at being caught apparent by the slump of her shoulders, her hair creating a curtain around her face and the redness blooming across her face. She peeked up and he could see her eyes staring at him through her hair. He gave her a small smile to let her know that he understood and that she wouldn't receive any condemnation from him. After all, he had recently entered into the realm of unrequited love.

Their eyes were still glued to each other when R exclaimed loudly, "Alright! 'Ferre, you're up first! Truth of Dare!"

The suddenness of it all startled them and they looked away from each other quickly, both hoping nobody caught them.

The attention of the table shifted to Combeferre as he sat contemplating which one he would pick. He was always the more analytical of the group and Enjolras was actually surprised that R would pick him first, but suspected R was trying to catch him off guard to get him to spontaneously make a decision. Enjolras sighed and wished that R would just see that his constant attempts were futile.

About five minutes passed before Combeferre gave his response. "Truth."

R cackled with glee and rubbed his hands together in a villainous manner. "Who do you keep sneaking into our apartment late at night when you think everyone is asleep?"

Enjolras could see that Combeferre was shocked to be asked that question and that that never factored into his decision in saying truth. It was very rare to catch him off-guard and he suspected that Combeferre was just drunk enough to actually answer him.

"She's a fellow researcher in my lab, but our P.I. frowns on inter-lab relations so we have to keep it a secret… kindly keep it as such. " He mumbled just low enough for everyone to hear him and moved on quickly to the next victim before anyone could probe further. "Jehan, you're up."

"Dare." He gulped.

Combeferre thought for a moment, "I dare you to go up to the microphone on stage and recite a poem that you make up on the spot."

Jehan nodded bravely, took a shot, and walked up to the stage. He decided on a haiku on how his friends dared him to do this. He gave it his best overdramatic reading, including a bow at the end that caused everyone in the bar to burst out laughing.

Skipping back to the table his hopped back onto his stool he smiled widely before turning to Bahorel.

"Truth of Dare?"

Bahorel shouted truth without evening thinking about it, causing Jehan to grin so deviously he looked like the Cheshire cat.

"Favorite movie… and your real favorite, not the one you tell everyone." Jehan said, practically jumping up and down in excitement. He had caught Bahorel alone in the apartment of day watching the movie with a pint of ice cream.

Bahorel glared at him before taking another drink. He squared his shoulder and cracked his knuckles, "Pretty in Pink… with Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion a close second." He answered proudly, daring anyone to comment on it.

However, none of the Amis could bring themselves to form words they were laughing so hard.

"This is why I tell everyone my favorite movie is Fight Club, although I don't understand why you all are laughing. Ducky is a BAMF and the goth chick from Romy and Michelle is sarcastic gold." He said to Jehan.

It took a few minutes for the table to calm down and Bahorel settled his gaze on Joly, intent on revenge. "Joly, Truth or Dare."

"Dare."

"I dare you to lay your head on the bar table for five minutes and not go wash your face after." Bahorel said maliciously. Enjolras rolled his eyes, wondering why on earth Bahorel would give a dare he knew Joly would back out of.

Joly gulped before replying, "I…. I… Nope. Not gonna do it."

Bahorel laughed, "Alright, three shots… Tequila." He said before lining up the shot glasses and filling them with Jose. With that Enjolras finally understood why Bahorel decided on the dare.

Joly nodded before slamming the shots. When he finished he turned to Marius, and gave him the choice.

"Dare."

"I dare you to go kiss the blond waitress you have been crushing on."

Marius jumped up with glee and went to go find the waitress. The kiss didn't let up and the table turned back to resume the game.

"Well, since he is obviously not coming back I will take his place. So… Eponine, truth or dare." Jehan piped up.

Enjolras was staring at her in sympathy and knew that Jehan would be gentle in whatever he asked. Her grief at seeing Marius kiss her co-worker was obvious on her face and Enjolras could see his friends giving her similar looks.

Eponine looked back at her drink before replying hoarsely. "Truth."

Jehan sat for a moment and contemplated his question. "Alright, well a lot of us don't know much about you so how about… You're favorite quote?"

Enjolras wasn't surprised at the question their resident poet gave her as Jehan always had a love of words.

Eponine was obviously still shook up for Marius that she answered almost immediately and absentmindedly, "It's from my favorite movie, Mulan, the quote about the flower."

She didn't look at anyone as she gathered her things and stood to leave. "I have to go. I just remembered that my sister had a test to study for with some friends and I need to go home to be with my brother." With one last glance at the passionate couple on the other side of the room she ran out with a stricken face.

Enjolras sat up straight in his chair; his brain didn't process what she had said until she left because he had been so focused on wanting to make sure that she was okay. And of course he had now lost his opportunity to run after her upon realizing that Eponine was the one he had been chatting with all this time.

His mind still reeling from the shock he turned to his friends to make his excuses and left. He decided to walk home so that he could think about what had just occurred and gave his keys to Feuilly since he had had the least to drink after a promise that he would wait to drive everyone home until he had sobered up.

By the time he had arrived home he wondered why he was so dense in the first place. Looking back through all of their conversations it should have been obvious who he was talking to. Everything lined up and he had truly fallen into the same situation as Eponine herself. But, unlike Eponine, he was not going to stay on the sidelines and watch her pine after Marius. No, he was going to find a way to shift her feelings from Marius to him. He sat down and his computer to come up with a plan, not realizing that he didn't have that far to go in convincing her.

Enjolras enacted his plan almost immediately, he was tired of having to hide behind a computer screen and seeing Eponine working every night at the Musain was not helpful when all he want to do was grab her in his arms, kissing her senselessly.

He decided the best way was to use the same approach he did when finding out her user name. Over the next week and a half he found out that she was much more receptive to answering questions if he started the conversation. He had start off gently and ended up finding out a lot, but she still was close-lipped about anything to do with her family. He was the same and he was worried about opening himself up so much to someone with the possibility of getting rejected when he revealed his feelings. He decided that that night was the night to quick being scared and to jump right in.

They had been comparing and contrasting the role of female characters between her two favorite novels, Persuasion and They Mysteries of Udolpho, when he decided to shift the conversation towards family.

_I enjoy looking at the different familial backgrounds between both of the characters and seeing how their relationships with different family members effected their decisions and the course their life ultimately took. _

**That can be said of anyone, I think. I mean, I know that my experiences with my family are the main reason for who I am today. For example, if my father wasn't a complete asshole bigot I wouldn't be as active as I am now. He seemed to make it his past time to comment on the misfortune as others while nit-picking my life to pieces. **

_Same here. But I guess I identify with it in these two books because they hit kind of close to home. _

**How so?**

Enjolras waited, preparing himself with a funny yet embarrassing story about the time he accidentally locked himself inside his high school, handcuffed to some band lockers mind you, when he was protesting cuts to the art department just in case he needed to throw that out there.

_My family fell on ruin, as you already know, and after a while my father started to get desperate and he began to get in with a bad crowd. He forced my siblings and I to work for him and when I grew older one of his buddies offered enough money for me that he tried to sell me off to him. That was the day that I packed my bags and left. I immediately found a lawyer who was willing to work pro-bono and I cut ties off with them completely and when I turned 18 I began to petition the courts to gain custody of my younger sister and brother. My sister was old enough to make her own decisions according to them, and I only got my brother because my parents couldn't even remember his name the day we met in court. _

**Do your siblings miss your parents at all?**

_Not at all, we have our disagreements of course, and sometimes I think they wish I was home more… but they both understand that I am doing what I have to. My sister helps out a lot with my brother, which I am extremely grateful for but it doesn't stop me from wishing I could be there to help him with his homework every night. _

Enjolras sat and contemplated his response to her when she sent another message.

_I'm sorry, I have to go again. My brother seems to have gotten himself into a mess and I have the neighbor banging on my door to complain. _

**I hope he didn't do anything too terrible… I also hope I didn't drive you away with our current conversation. **

_Thank you, but knowing him it was… last time I got that severe of a knock he decided to take a bite out of every single tomato in our neighbors prize winning gardens… he thought they were apples because they were all green. _

_And no, you aren't driving me away… I don't usually talk about these things, but there is something about you that just seems safe. I trust you. _

Enjolras burst out laughing reading the line about the mischief her brother got into at times and his heart lightened with hope when he read that she trusted him.

**He does sound like a handful! And… I am glad that you trust me… the feeling is mutual just so you know. Good night and sweet dreams. **

He hoped he didn't sound too corny wishing her goodnight and she logged of before responding to him.

It was the morning of the protest and Enjolras was pleasantly surprised at the number of students that had shown up and participated. Over a hundred students had shown up, all wearing identical expressions of anger and frustration holding signs up stating their stats.

Before stepping up on the podium Enjolras tried to find Eponine in the crowd but it was so thick that he couldn't see past the third row.

"Hey, Enjy!"

He turned his head to see all of the Amis walking towards him, all wearing a triumphant grin.

"I think this may be your best one yet! It certainly has the best turn out…. When are you finally going to admit who helped you with this?" Combeferre asked.

Enjolras turned away, pretending to survey the crowd so they wouldn't see the slight blush across his cheeks as he lied. "No one, I told you the idea just came to me when I was researching the requirements to be eligible for the different levels of scholarships."

He could see that Combeferre didn't believe him, and to be honest, he didn't expect to be to pull that over him. 'Ferre had known him his whole life and was his closest friend so being able to tell when he was lying was practically second nature. Thankfully, all he got was a look before he had to step up and make his speech. He was so focused on trying to find Eponine that he didn't even remember giving his speech, the only indication of it was the roaring applause at the end and the congratulations he received as he made his way back to his friends.

Throughout the rest of the morning he mingled within the crowd and talked to some of the reporters while keeping an eye out for Eponine. He never saw her show up and he began to feel antsy. This was the first time he had ever wanted his protest to end so that they could have a celebratory drink at the Musain and he knew that Eponine would be there working.

By the time the evening arrived Enjolras was a ball of nerves. They had successfully gotten the dean to change the method they were going to use to cut funding and it was going to take everything ounce of self-control he had to not run up to her, pick her up in his arms, and twirl her around in celebration. He never got the chance to test his will since the Musain was so busy the waitress could hardly have time to breathe. So Enjolras could see Eponine running around frantically and resolved himself to waiting until they chatted later that night to tell her the good news. He also decided that he was done with pretending to not know who she was. This whole day seemed to prove that to him at every turn. He wanted to celebrate his successes with her, acknowledge her brilliance at coming up with the successful plan, and most of all, acknowledge his feelings for her in public.

He made his excuses almost immediately after seeing Eponine leave for the night and went home to log onto his computer.

**We were a success! Were you there today?**

_Congrats…. No. _

Enjolras was puzzled by her terse reply.

**I hope whatever kept you was nothing serious. **

_I was held up at my brother's school... He decided to protest his teacher's decision of giving him a detention for not completing his assignment by letting a stink bomb lose in her classroom during lunch the other day. I was stuck in the principal's office most of the morning trying to convince them to not suspend him. _

**Sigh… boys will be boys. Were you successful? **

_Thankfully, yes. But not after they gave him detention for a month. _

**Hopefully that works and deters future rebellious acts… although I must admit, I never did and I suspect you were your own brand of difficult. **

_That I was… When I was his age I didn't like to be told what to do and had no problem expressing my opinion. _

**I can see that. **

Enjolras paused, taking a deep breath to regain his confidence.

**So, I was thinking about you most of the day today. **

_Were you now?_

**Yes. Everywhere I turned I hoped I would find you. There was no one I wanted to share today with more. **

_That's understandable, I guess. We did sort of share this idea together and it would make sense to want to share in the success. _

**That wasn't just it…**

_I don't understand_

**What I am trying to say is that I wanted you there as more than a friend… I find myself thinking about you a lot. I want to sit with you and talk to you in person, to share in the day's event with you, to be affectionate with you, to sit on the couch and cuddle as we watch Mulan together. **

Enjolras continued on, spurred by the relief he felt finally confessing his feelings for her and pouring out his desires to her. All that was left was to tell her that he knew who she was and maybe, just maybe, they would put this silliness behind them and they could do all the things he just suggested and more.

**I think we finally had one of these conversations in person, Eponine. **

He paused and waited, holding his breath in anticipation.

**_*the_flower_that_blooms_in_adversity has logged off*_**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Mis**

**Thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter! It looks like there will be one more chapter after this one and *hopefully* the wait will not be as long :)**

Thanks to Lilyismilesaway for letting me toss around ideas and helping me with parts of this chapter! (also, blame her if there is an overabundance of feels because she told me it was okay)

Every day since Enjolras found himself logging in and attempting to contact Eponine. However, he would always get the same automated personalized response;

_the_flower_that_blooms_in_adversity: In not in front of the computer or if I am I can't talk. Now go away and let me study! (If you are Gavroche, go to bed! And if you are Azelma, get off your phone and do your homework- I know you have it!) _

As much as her away message made him laugh it was disheartening. She had been avoiding him with a persistence he hadn't known existed until now. He had his friends had always left very generous tips when she waited on them at the Musain, but it was obvious that every time he was there with his friends she would pawn their table off on someone else. So obvious in fact that the others had noticed and asked Grantaire if he had done anything to offend her when they weren't there, which he swore up and down he didn't. Enjolras even tried walking up to her during her shift, but every time he got close she would suddenly disappear. Despite all of her attempts, however, he was still determined to talk to her.

In was a Friday night a week later and Enjolras was playing with his straw while keeping an intense eye on Eponine. He still hadn't had any luck in getting in contact with Eponine, despite his efforts and he was trying to come up with something to make her talk to him.

"I have a great idea!" Grantaire shouted suddenly, breaking Enjolras out of his thoughts.

The entire table groaned, knowing that Grantaire's suddenly great ideas never turned out all that great.

"It's a drinking game! Okay, so the game is called Truth and you get to ask someone three questions and they have to answer truthfully. If you catch someone in a lie then they have to take two shots. There are no limitations on the type of question you ask, but you can only answer once per round." Grantaire explained while gesturing wildly with enthusiasm.

The table eyed each other warily, not wanting to be the first to talk. Combeferre, however, wasn't so polite and groaned loudly.

"That's the same thing as Truth or Dare only subtracting out the Dare portion! And we play that ALL the time."

Grantaire held up a finger to his mouth and shushed his friend loudly. It was obvious that he was already inebriated, not only by his childish action but also by the spray of liquid that shot at Combeferre because he had forgotten that he had taken a drink before answering. "No, it's not! I just made it up!"

Combeferre held up the wet napkins he had used as evidence, "You are also two drinks passed drunk…"

"I don't care, we're playing anyways. Besides, just think… with how long we have all known each other at least one person at this table will know the answer to any question that is asked. Thus, the fun part of the game will be seeing who tries to lie and fails miserably!"

Combeferre didn't look all that convinced so Grantaire continued on, "You know… this will be the perfect opportunity for you to find out who started blaring 'Let's Get It On' outside your door the last time you had your lady friends over…"

Combeferre perked up at that possibility and nodded his head enthusiastically when R had another brilliant idea.

"Isn't it also around the time when Eponine gets off? She should play too!" He looked towards the bar and cried out her name, motioning her towards the table.

She looked apprehensive as she walked towards the table and Enjolras tensed in anticipation. Grantaire's ridiculous game was sounding more and more appealing as Enjolras realized he could use it to his advantage and finally get to converse with her. The only problem was that he never played these games, to the point that they didn't even bother asking him anymore so he knew that it would look suspicious if he suddenly volunteered himself.

Approaching the table he could see that she refused to look anywhere but in his general direction. "What's up guys? I'm already off the clock so if you need more drinks I am not the person to be asking." She joked.

"Nope! We are all good on that front. We wanted you to join in our game!" Grantaire said as he gave her a quick run through of the game.

Eponine looked at him, her eyes conveying how ridiculous she thought the game sounded but she remained polite. "I don't know, I have to get home to my siblings."

Grantaire put on his best pout, "Please, 'Ponine? You are always so busy that we hardly ever get to spend time with you! And this past week was worse! It was like you were a ghost or something… if it wasn't for the Musain being my second home I might have actually believed it."

Eponine thought about it for a bit, "Fine, I will play."

Grantaire pumped his fist in the air triumphantly. "But… Only if Enjolras plays too." She finished, finally making eye contact with him for the first time in a week.

The only response he gave was the slight lift of his eyes as he held his breath waiting to see what the Amis would do.

Joly frowned, "But… Enjolras never plays. He always refuses..."

Eponine shook her head, "That's my deal."

The Amis turned towards him and began pleading. He made sure to put on an act of saying he wasn't going to play before changing his mind. He figured that if he suddenly agreed they might ask why and he didn't want Eponine to have any idea of his plan.

"Fine, I'll play…" He said dejectedly.

Grantaire cheered and pointed to a member of their group to start. Enjolras only half paid attention to the game around him as his eyes stayed focused on Eponine, mentally trying to figure out the best questions to ask her.

Because of this he only heard the questions and answers that made his friends roar with laughter. He heard Feuilly admit to being responsible for blasting Marvin Gaye and ratting out Jehan for nicknaming Combeferre a 'sex god' after his girlfriend woke everyone up half the house in the middle of the night. There was also Grantaire admitting to switching out Bahorel's Fight Club DVD disc for Beaches (that was also his own DVD) when Bahorel took it to a guy's night for his wrestling team and Courfeyrac getting thrown under the bus for taking some of Jehan's poetry and posting it in an online dating website under a joke profile. And of course there were also groans of the ones that got caught in a lie and forced to do shots before the attention finally settled on Eponine.

She was being questioned by Marius and Enjolras couldn't even register what was being said around him. He had tunnel vision and all he could see was her. He was watching every tiny detail in her facial expression to see how she was doing. He was worried that being callously questioned by Marius, he assumed that he was asking her about Cosette because he didn't seem to think about anything else, and he wanted to make sure she was okay. So far her face hadn't flinched, her mouth remained turned up in a pleasant manner, and her eyes hadn't crinkled at the corners to show that she was just putting on an act. He would be lying to himself if didn't admit this made him want to jump with joy because it gave him hope that she was over Marius.

"Enjolras." His gaze focused as he looked at Eponine.

"What?" He asked confused.

"It's my turn. And I am calling you." She said bluntly, her gaze had taken on a steel-like sharpness.

Enjolras gulped and straighten himself in his chair, preparing himself the best he could. He actually hadn't considered the possibility that she could ask him questions, which should show how hung up he was on her. He nodded his head, encouraging her to go on.

The atmosphere had changed around the table and there was a discernible amount of tension that hadn't been there before. The rest of the Amis hadn't noticed yet because they were too awestruck at Enjolras actually playing the game, but Enjolras could cut it with a knife. Eponine kept her gaze fixated on him as her questions came out in a rapid-fire manner.

"When did you know that it was me on the other end?"

"When you let it slip the last time you played truth or dare that your favorite movie quote was from Mulan."

"Why did you not tell me immediately that you knew who I was?"

"Because by then I had developed feelings for you and I didn't want to scare you away. I also wasn't sure how to handle the situation exactly and I couldn't bear it if I screwed it up and you refused to talk to me." Enjolras said, stressing the last part in particular.

The inflection was not lost on Eponine and her voice dropped self-consciously for the last question.

"Why?"

Enjolras squared his shoulders and his words spilled out quickly, "Why what exactly? That could cover a lot. Why did I respond to an anonymous comment on my website? Because you were the first intelligent person to comment on it and I felt compelled to find out more, good thing I did too because without your help then we never would have been successful with the scholarship protest. And then there is why I started talking to you about things other than the protest. It was because I found you fascinating and I wanted to know more about you. You have already asked me why didn't I tell you immediately and I hope my answer was sufficient enough for you, but let me add this- I decided to tell you when I did because I could no longer hold it in. I wanted to be able to celebrate with you, to hold you, to kiss you, to just be able to see you talk with you without using a keyboard and screenname."

Enjolras paused for a breath and leaned into the table, "And lastly, there is why do I have feelings for you. I assume this is the one that you had originally intended. However, given the fact you have avoided me all week despite my numerous attempts I wanted to make sure I gave you all the information. That way if you do walk away and never talk to me again, you have all the facts. I like you because you are brilliant; you are singlehandedly responsible for our success last week. I like you because you are caring, you take care of your two siblings when you don't have to and it is obvious that you love them with every fiber of your being. I like you because you are hard-working, you work two different jobs and go to school full time all while managing to keep a 3.76 GPA. And lastly, but certainly not the least, I like you because I can't imagine you not in my life. You have seeped into my very being, Eponine."

He finished that last portion of his answer in a rush. Ignoring the open-mouthed expressions of shock his friends were wearing he leaned even further into the table, like a lion stalking its prey. He was finally going to get his moment and he would be damned if anyone took it away from him.

"Eponine." He said simply while still maintaining eye contact with her. Eponine flinched slightly but kept her gaze cold.

Grantaire raised his hand up; about to protest the rule breaking that was occurring in his precious game. Jehan batted it down harshly and glared at him, effectively shutting him up. The rest of the Amis, sans Courfeyrac, were still too stunned to say anything. Courfeyrac on the other hand, visibly slouched in his chair and pouted because it was obvious the game had fallen into chaos and he hadn't gotten a turn.

Enjolras delivered his questions in the same manner as Eponine did to him.

"Do you still have feelings for someone?"

With that question he could see Eponine's eyes widening. It was apparent that she hadn't anticipated this question and her shoulders sagged as she withdrew into herself.

"I don't know" Enjolras could hear the timidness and uncertainty in her tone and it resonated within him, snapping him out of his intense mode.

"Do you still trust me?" Enjolras asked softly, his eyes pleading.

Eponine's answer was quiet but strong and without hesitation, "Yes."

Enjolras sighed in relief before taking a deep breath and asked the question he had been desperate to know since he found out who she was.

"Do you have feelings for me?"

There was a moment's pause and all the Amis' gazes were switching rapidly between the two of them, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Eponine looked down for a moment before looking back up to answer. When she did look up, Enjolras could see the tears glistening in her eyes and his heart broke. He prepared himself for the inevitable no when he heard,

"Yes."

She said it so softly that Enjolras thought he might have imagined it. Eponine darted out of her seat and ran out the door, not ready to face the situation.

However, Enjolras was not going to let her escape again and immediately raced after her, leaving the Amis staring after them both wondering how the heck they even know each other well enough to have feelings for each other.

Joly broke the silence when he said absentmindedly, "He left his bag."

With the silence and the seriousness of the moment broken, Courfeyrac whined, "And I NEVER get to play…"

Enjolras ran down roughly two blocks before catching up to Eponine.

"Eponine!" He called her name out breathlessly when he had finally gotten close enough for her to hear him.

Eponine stopped but didn't turn around. She looked ready to bolt at any moment and Enjolras just hoped that she waited until he caught up to her completely.

"Please, Eponine. Just talk to me… No computer, no games, just us." He begged breathlessly, still winded from his run.

Eponine turned around reluctantly, "Go on."

Enjolras began pacing in front of her, running his hand through his golden curls in frustrations. The situation wasn't logical. He thought that the common occurrence that happened when two people had feelings for each other was that they talked; got to know each other better… date even.

"I just don't understand. I tell you my feelings, feelings that I have never had for another person and can hardly make heads or tails of myself and you tell me that you have feelings for me too and you run off. This doesn't make any sense and I just don't understand, please help me understand. I have been racking my brain this past week and it just isn't working, and what just happened in there didn't help." He finished, his clear-blue eyes pleading with her to give him something.

Eponine looked at him sadly, "I don't know the specific reason I am avoiding you… I should be embracing this… but I can't. You bring the hope, the possibility of happiness and in my life happiness always comes with a price, with strings that can be used to manipulate later. It makes happiness into a joke, a child's dream that never comes to reality."

She paused, wiping her eyes and composing herself before continuing. "And then there are my feelings for Marius. While my feelings are changing it doesn't stop the fact that just a few weeks ago I was in love with him, and it ended up breaking my heart. I don't know how to sort it all out yet… I need time. I just need more time…" She stressed. Her hands were clenching around her bag, the only physical act that conveyed how stressful she found the situation. Enjolras knew how much she didn't like talking about something without having a clear, conscious thought but he couldn't bring himself to stop. He needed answers and as he let what she said sink in he latched onto the one thing that could give him hope.

"Wait… you said a few weeks. Does that mean… does it mean you started developing feelings for me before I told you that I knew who you were?" He asked, grasping at whatever he could.

Eponine sighed and shifted bag, "I think my feelings started changing when you admitted that your favorite movie was Mulan. It was the first time I got to see you as something more than the activist. I got to see the person underneath and I found that I liked that person. The rest developed from there."

Eponine could see his eyes light up and felt terrible. She stepped forward and placed her hand gently on his arm. His eyes stayed focused on hers as if trying to glean the information directly from her mind. "Enjolras, this doesn't change the fact that I still need time. Please, just give me that time. I can't tell you what will be the outcome or how long it will take, but I promise that when I am ready to talk I will come to you."

Her eyes were gentle as Enjolras slowly nodded his head, his heart in his eyes as he let her go. He was the first to leave; a move that he felt was symbolic of his acceptance and took the long way home.

He slammed the front door of his home and made a beeline for the couch, resting his head in his hands.

The next thing Enjolras recalls is that Amis walking rather loudly through the front door. He had lost track of time within his own misery and upon hearing his friends he looked up for the first time since arriving home. They can see the wariness in his face, the sweat on his brow and they know that it didn't end well.

They are all staring at him with varying expressions of pity; except for Joly who was looking at him with a look of horrified disgust.

"Um… You know you are currently sitting on the couch-the couch we all sit on- drenched in sweat, Right? It's becoming a breeding ground for germs with every passing second." He shuddered.

Joly was immediately silenced by a resounding slap to the back of his head from Feuilly.

"Damn it, that hurt!" Joly exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head and wincing.

"No shit, It was supposed to hurt. Do you think he wants to hear about your hypochondriac paranoia's right now when his love life has gone to shit?" Feuilly hissed.

Enjolras cracked a small smile at their antics before returning to his previous position. The guys move to surround him before Combeferre ventures to ask him what happened. In a cold, uninflected tone he begins to tell them everything. He starts at the beginning, the night that he read her comment and emailed her back and continues on to what occurred between them that night. He never once stopped in his speech and remained in the detached tone; the only indication of him being affected was the gentle sloping of his shoulders the further he got into his story. It was like he was trying to withdraw into himself like a turtle wanting to hide from the world. The Amis can see how much he is hurting and start suggesting ideas of how to win her over.

"You could write her poetry." Jehan suggested, but then quickly backtracked after seeing his facial expression, "Or I could write it for you and you could give it to her."

"You could stand outside her apartment with a boom box." Suggested Bahorel.

Courfeyrac glanced at him in speculation, "Do you have EVERY 80's rom com memorized?" Bahorel looked away sheepishly while Courfeyrac continued, "No, what you need to do is show up at the Musain, take her in your arms and kiss the daylights out of her! And then of course carry her out and take her back to your place…"

"And you say I have rom coms memorized? You just stole the ending to An Officer and a Gentleman!" Bahorel said indignantly and was promptly ignored.

Enjolras was beginning to feel overwhelmed. He held his hands up to get the guys to quiet down, "Guys, she said she needs time…"

Courfeyrac scoffed, "Girls always say that though and they hardly ever mean it. Just do a big declaration to show how you feel and she will melt in your arms."

Enjolras stared at him incredulously, "How the hell do you even get girls? I am honestly surprised you don't come back to the table soaking wet from all the drinks I suspect get thrown in your face." He turned to face the group, "Besides, this is Eponine we are talking about. She says what she means and doesn't play games. I am going to respect her request. Now if you will excuse me, I am going to go shower, grab a cup of tea, and plan for the next Amis meeting to get my mind off of things." He said as he stood up and left.

The next few days passed painfully slow for the Amis. They could see that both of their friends were hurting and it was starting to wear on them. Enjolras threw himself into his projects with a vengeance and refused to allow his disaster of personal life to affect his work. Because of his tenacity allowed the next meeting to go off without a hitch his friends could see an aura of sadness surrounding him, especially when anyone brought up the success of the scholarship protest.

Eponine on the other hand was harder to read and they probably wouldn't have been able to pick up on anything had it not been for Enjolras refusal to go to the Musain since their confrontation. According to him he was respecting her wishes by not going and he intended to keep it that way. However, the first evening they showed up without him was a disaster. Eponine was their waitress and she had approached the table with reluctant determination.

The guys had greeted her warmly while still keeping a close eye on her mannerisms. They saw her approach slowly, stopping right behind Bahorel so that she would be hidden from most of the table. Only when she began to take drink orders did she slowly look around the table, as if she were mentally preparing herself to interact with their blond leader. When she noticed he was absent she didn't say anything, but her eyes held a glimmer of disappointment and when she walked back to the bar they could see an air of defeat hanging around her. They decided that night that something needed to be done, but every night since Enjolras refused to join them.

Finally, about three nights later Grantaire had enough.

"Enjolras, it's time for you to stop moping. You are coming with us tonight and I won't hear a word against it."

Enjolras opened his mouth to refuse but Grantaire stopped him before he could. "No, I said you couldn't refuse. Now go put on a shirt and you shoes or I will have to dress you myself."

"She doesn't want me there, R. Why should I go where I am not wanted, it could end up pissing her off and then where will I be? More miserable then I am now, that's for damn sure." Enjolras grumbled as he stood up and walked into his room to grab his clothing.

Grantaire ran his hand through his hair in exasperation, "And I am telling you that you haven't been there for three days, you haven't seen her facial expression… she wants you there Enjolras."

"I highly doubt that." He said as he begrudgingly pulled on his shoes before following his friends out the door.

They had just grabbed at table at the Musain when Eponine started to approach their table. She had a pleasant smile on her face and was oblivious to who all was in their party. Her cheerful façade seemed to just increase the depth of Enjolras scowl as he thought that he must be the only miserable one of the two and immediately dropped his head, focusing his eyes on the table and avoiding her stare. Because of this he failed to see her eyes widen and fill with apprehension and longing when she noticed him there.

Her eyes seemed slightly wetter as she glanced back at the rest of the table, "What can I get you guys? The usual?" Her voice broke slightly at the end.

The Amis could see how much she wanted to escape and quickly nodded their heads to confirm their drink orders. However, when she turned to walk away a rough voice stopped her,

"A scotch." Enjolras muttered.

Eponine turned around with a slightly hopeful look in her eyes that immediately disappeared when she saw that he couldn't even look at her to order his drink.

"A double." He finished after a pause.

The Amis gasped and looked at Enjolras in shock. It was his subtle way of telling them that he wasn't okay and how difficult he found the situation. He rarely drank aside from the occasional beer when the Amis could convince him to relax. But on those rare days where the day seemed to last forever or a protest/meeting had gone bad he would barricade himself in his room with a glass of 10 year old, double-barrel scotch he kept hidden in his desk. He would only ever allow himself a single finger on days like that and so far they had never seen Enjolras drink more than that.

Even Eponine knew this and she gazed at him in shock, her eyes sad. She started to take a step towards him instinctively to comfort him but caught herself at the last moment and turned quickly to walk to the bar and grab their drinks. As she turned the Amis could swear they saw a single tear run down her cheek. A suspicion that was later confirmed when she reached across the bar to get a napkin and dab her eyes. They could also see her reassuring the bartender that she was okay before returning with their drinks quietly.

Enjolras stayed in his brooding mood the entire evening. He ignored all attempts at conversations, choosing to stare at this glass of scotch as if it held all the answers he needed. However, by the time was got halfway through his glass his eyes would sneak up and pick out Eponine in the crowd before darting back down so she wouldn't catch him watching her intently.

He continued this behavior with the longing in his eyes increasing as the night wore on. Eponine, on the other hand, avoided their table unless she needed to refill their drinks until it was time for her to clock out and she needed to close their tabs.

"Alright guys, it's time for me to go home so here are your tabs."

Enjolras' head snapped up and looked at her for the first time that evening. Their eyes made contact and it appeared that both of them refused to look away first. He handed her his card and let his hand brush up against hers gently. She shivered slightly and for a few moments she just stood there staring. They were lost in their own little world before a slight cough from Grantaire snapped them out of it. Without a word to anyone else she gathered up the rest of their cards.

When she returned she had their credit slips and her bag slung over her shoulder. She walked around and handed each of them their slips, leaving Enjolras for last. When she got to him she leaned over, letting her hair create a curtain between them and the Amis before placing his directly on the table. She drew back so that her mouth was directly by his ear,

"I'm ready… Can we talk?" Her voice broke, betraying her nervousness.

Enjolras stiffened when he felt her breath caress his skin. He nodded stoically before following her outside, missing the looks of confusion and delight from his friend's faces.

He followed her into a small alley right beside the Musain and watched her against the brick wall in support. She fiddled with her bag for a few moments before speaking,

"I'm ready to talk."

Enjolras nodded his head for her to continue. He was feeling too nervous to trust his words at that moment.

"Actually… I think I was ready to talk to you the next night… I just didn't know how to approach everything and honestly, I still don't think I have it quiet right."

Enjolras nodded his head slowly, "Why don't you start where you feel comfortable?"

Eponine laughed, "What part about this is supposed to be comfortable? But I will start off with what you want to know most… I like you… I mean, you already knew that but…"

She took a deep breath before continuing,

"I didn't know how much until that first night when you didn't show up. It felt like my heart was breaking, and it was my own fault. I asked you to give me time and you were only respecting that. But that feeling was so overwhelming, so much stronger than anything I ever felt for Marius that it made me think. No… not think… more like realize. It helped me to see that what I had for Marius was nothing more than latching onto the first person to show me any sort of genuine kindness. That it was you who really knew me, who really accepted me for who I am… and you liked me for it. That's never happened to me before, and it's wonderful and scary all at the same time. But I know that I want to make this work." She said decisively, looking back up at Enjolras.

Enjolras tried to contain his glee and intense yearning to pull her in his arms and never let her go. He managed to contain his impulse before replying softly,

"Just one date, that's all I ask."

"Okay," She answered with an incandescent smile.

Enjolras could feel the happiness radiating off of her and stepped forward and rested one hand on the wall in front of him, trapping Eponine. He leaned close to her, stopping just inches from her mouth. He could feel her breath hitch and his eyes darted to her lips.

"Tomorrow. I'll kick the guys out of the house and you can come over." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek and was rewarded with another shaky breath. "We can have the place to ourselves and not have to worry about the pains of a crowd; we can just focus on each other. I'll cook." His voice was a seductive caress, one the made Eponine's knees weak.

She didn't trust her words so she nodded her head in agreement, missing the fact that shaking her head brought her closer to his lips. Their emotions from the past three days combined with the talk they just had caused the tension around them was so thick that neither of them had the ability to pull away. They continued to stare at each other, so close to each other that they were breathing the same air.

Enjolras eyes once again dipped down to her mouth and he instinctively dipped his head even closer. Eponine, acting involuntarily, closed her eyes as if she were anticipating their lips meeting. Enjolras drew back slightly, searching her expression for any hesitation. She seemed to sense his apprehension and opened her eyes to meet his.

Desire and hesitation rolled around in his stormy, blue eyes. He wanted nothing more than to lift her up against the wall and kiss her senselessly; releasing the emotions he had kept at bay for a month now. But at the same time… what if it was too soon? What if she wasn't ready for the intensity of his feelings and if he acted on his desire… would it make her run again? All of the thoughts were swirling around in a haze of unfamiliar emotions but when he noticed that she wore a content smile and nodded her head slightly as if encouraging him Enjolras head dipped back down meeting her lips fervently.

The kiss increased in passion as his free hand drifted up and brushed back her hair. He tucked it gently behind her ear before letting his fingers trail lightly down her arm, finally settling at the small of her back. He pulled her close to him, as if he feared she would slip away at any moment. He groaned feeling her flush against him and let himself relax into her warmth. He groaned, losing himself within the kiss as his hand slipped from the wall and buried itself within her hair.

The joyous hollering of his friends broke them apart suddenly. Eponine's face turned red with embarrassment as she tried to look anywhere that wasn't at him or his friends. Enjolras, still breathing heavily, pulled her against him and turned so that she was hidden from his friends as she burrowed into his chest.

Enjolras glared at them and waved his hand to motion them onwards. "I'll catch up with you momentarily, now please continue walking. We are not some attraction at the zoo to ogle!"

The Amis made kissing faces at him before finally disappearing around the corner, leaving them in privacy once more. He sighed and stepped back from Eponine. He instantly missed her warmth but knew that if that stayed like that they would never leave.

"So, tomorrow then?" He probed.

Eponine smiled shyly still looking anywhere but at him, "Yes. Tomorrow is good."

He stepped forward and put his hand under her chin to lift her face to his, "I look forward to it." And with a gentle press of his lips to hers he turned and walked away with a smile.

**As always, I love to hear your thoughts!**


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